Bad Bricklink Sellers

doctorsparkles · Post by **doctorsparkles** » Thu Sep 23, 2004 9:41 pm

How patient are you with bad Bricklink sellers? What do you do when you finally get fed up?
The reason I ask is because I placed a Bricklink order on the 11th, and mailed out a money order less than a day later. The seller posted positive feedback for me on the 17th, but as of now the status of my order is still only 'packed.'
At first I thought that maybe he had just forgotten to update the status of my order in a timely manner as it still said 'Pending' long after he sent me the invoice and even after he left feedback. Now I realize that he really has most likely not shipped my package yet.
What, if anything, should I do about a slow shipper? I'm not usually so impatient, but I always make sure that a seller gets payment in a timely manner, and I get annoyed when I don't receive the same courtesy. If patience is the answer, what type of feedback should I give him once I finally do receive my package?

Post by **SavaTheAggie** » Thu Sep 23, 2004 10:01 pm

I know this is a stupid question, but have you been in contact with the seller on a regular basis? Sometimes all you need to do is keep bugging them (politely) and they'll get the show on the road.

If you have been, then I'd be a bit more concerned. But I do have a question. How far is it between you and the seller? Parcel Post is pretty slow, especially between states and definately between countries.

Try going online to your postal service and check on how long they would estimate a similar package would take to be delivered between you and the seller's address. That'll give you an idea on how long it should take, even at the slowest shipping rate.

When you finally receive the order, I'd say leave positive feedback. I only reserve Neutral or Negative feedback if a seller is rude, far too slow (measured in months) or my order arrives too incomplete or damanged. And even if an order arrives incomplete or damaged, I make sure to contact the seller first. A positive feedback can usually be had from me if my order is corrected or replaced.

In any case, several sellers I've dealt with in the past do not update the status of your order until the very last minute, or sometimes not even that. I've recieved a package form a seller and the status still said 'paid'. Some sellers are just a little absent minded that way.

Or perhaps I'm just unusually patient (most of the time).

--Anthony

MaxiVisVires · Post by **MaxiVisVires** » Thu Sep 23, 2004 10:02 pm

If I were you I'd ask for a shipment update. When was the item sent and when should you expect it. If the seller responds in a timely manner, then patience is the way to go. Occasionally, sellers on bricklink will forget to update the item's status. I know that holds true for some buyers that won't hit complete after they recieve the item. So just communicate, I'm sure the seller will not have any problem telling you what's going on. Keep in mind, international shipping as of late has been really slow. Usually taking an extra week or longer.

doctorsparkles · Post by **doctorsparkles** » Thu Sep 23, 2004 10:16 pm

Well, I certainly can't blame the postal service. The seller lives close enough to me that I entertained the idea of picking the package up myself (in the end, I decided that it was too far away). I will probably wait until Monday (I do remember that it said something about the seller shipping packages during the weekend), and if the status of the order hasn't changed by then, I will contact the seller. Thanks for the advice.

J1A3L5 · Post by **J1A3L5** » Thu Sep 23, 2004 11:05 pm

I had an extremely similar incident with a seller. They were a large seller, one of the highest feedback ratings on bricklink, and lots of people thought highly of the store. So I wanted some stuff, ordered, and figured a 3000+ feedback rating almost all good would be no problems. I paid, it was packed, and took about half a month to be shipped. No replies to emails. Then about a month and a half later it still hadn't come, and I assumed it was lost in the mail. (No fault to seller). Then one day it came, but was postmarked only a week previous. The seller had lied about the shipping date. I didn't get feedback from it either.

There's not a whole lot you can do: Check their splash and store policy pages and see if they have any info regarding shipping. If not, or if it is said and it's been longer, inquire about it.

Draygen · Post by **Draygen** » Fri Sep 24, 2004 2:40 am

I just had my first bircklink purchase and well took 2days to reach me VERY fast for only 2$ shipping. I was very surprised. Clear communication is key, but comapred to ebay bricklink is great! Well form my little experience anyway.

J1A3L5 · Post by **J1A3L5** » Fri Sep 24, 2004 3:22 am

Draygen wrote:I just had my first bircklink purchase and well took 2days to reach me VERY fast for only 2$ shipping. I was very surprised. Clear communication is key, but comapred to ebay bricklink is great! Well form my little experience anyway.

Indeed. Most sellers are great and extremely friendly. I'm just waiting on my 15th transaction. However, the incident I mentioned wasn't the first incident.

I am a big fan of the Star Wars UCS line - I have all the UCS ships except the original two, the X-Wing and TIE Inteceptor. So when I say the TIE MISB for $5 less than normal, I ordered it. It turned out the seller had sold it outside bricklink the day before or something, and hadn't removed it from stock yet. He was extremely nice and offered me a discount on the other things I ordered, but I declined. It was a mistake, not anything malicious.

doctorsparkles · Post by **doctorsparkles** » Sat Sep 25, 2004 7:34 pm

The order that I was expecting was waiting for me when I got home this afternoon, so I guess I worried needlessly. I'm so silly!

Post by **SavaTheAggie** » Sat Sep 25, 2004 7:39 pm

doctorsparkles wrote:The order that I was expecting was waiting for me when I got home this afternoon, so I guess I worried needlessly. I'm so silly!

Biblical:
Oh ye of little faith

Old school:
Patience is a virtue

Common Sensical:
Good things come to those who wait

Star Warsical:
I find your lack of faith disturbing

--Anthony

medib · Post by **medib** » Fri Oct 08, 2004 6:22 pm

I know I'm putting my 2 cents worth in unnecessarily, but I figured I'd
try and put my foot in my mouth...

I have a shop that I try and sell stock, I find that there are times when I
am too tired from work to go and ship the stock out for a couple of days.
I try and ship stuff out as quick as I am able to, but for me I have to
go across the border (I live in Canada, 15 minutes out of the US close to
NY State).

Currently, I have been working a lot of nights and have been busy. I know
I should not be using this kind of excuse to delay the shipments, but
sometimes it cannot be helped. If the shipment is to go overseas, there
is an increased delay since I have to make sure the shipping documentation
is alright, and that the box is packed properly.

Anyways, I thought I'd mention a perspective from "the other side".

Benjamin Medinets

doctorsparkles · Post by **doctorsparkles** » Sat Oct 09, 2004 9:46 pm

medib wrote:Anyways, I thought I'd mention a perspective from "the other side".

Thanks for the input. I'm actually pretty well aware of what it's like on 'the other side,' as my mother used to run a business off of Ebay (now Ebay is just a small portion of her customer base). The thing is that she always puts so much effort into making her customers happy that I've come to expect the same from other sellers. As of this time, I haven't yet had a real problem with sellers, except for the fact that the seller who inspired this thread still hasn't changed the order status to 'shipped,' even though I received it two weeks ago, so I can't file the order and be done with it. What's more is that I am unable to contact him.